Crypt Sermon - Out of the Garden

Recently I've been listening to a lot of Candlemass's Nightfall and a trio of Trouble albums (Psalm 9, The Skull, Run to the Light) so Out of the Garden by Philly's Crypt Sermon dropped into my lap at a most opportune time. Already riding high (literally and figuratively) on trad doom, Crypt Sermon's injection into very regular rotation was almost too much to bear at first.

I was instantly blown away by just how epic Out of the Garden is. And as usual when I love something so much, it quickly becomes hard to write about. It's difficult to critique something as a fan, and especially when it's basically without flaw. But I've been telling everyone who'll listen about it. I even tracked down a guy in a Candlemass shirt at a (thrash) show to tell him about Crypt Sermon.

Over the past couple months the litany of hook-laden melodies (both guitar and vocal based) crop up out of the blue. Sometimes though they just as easily morph into a Candlemass tune, or by extension and song by Below. Not to say Crypt Sermon are as blatant in their Candlemass worship as Below. And as for the references to Solitude Aeturnus, well, that's a band I've yet to check out. But if Crypt Sermon draws inspiration from them, then I need to get on that. Pronto.

The band itself is made up of a team of talented veterans. Vocalist Brooks Wilson (who also painted the extraordinary cover) plays bass in Unrest and Trenchrot which also include lead guitarist Steve Jansson. Rhythm guitarist James Lipczynski is the man behind the amazing Labyrinthine. Bassist Will Mellor is also in Hivelords and drummer Enrique Sagarnaga beats the skins for Ashencult.

But as you can tell from the comparisons already made Crypt Sermon sounds nothing like the members other bands. This is trad-styled doom of the most epic kind. Ominous and dark melodies gracefully weave their way through the stories of times ancient. Times of fealty when monarchies (in the back pocket of the church) meant something. When it was the Christians mercilessly slaughtering in the name of their god. Times you'd expect to hear about by taking a look at the cover and what appears to be a member of the Knights Templar.

Out of the Garden is stacked with layers and atmosphere. Even after dozens of listens it continues to reveal itself. It's clear that the band has taken this quite seriously. There's no skimping on just pounding out some doom.

Neither is there any lack of dynamics. Plodding doom pace, heavy-handed mid-paced, and hearty gallop all have their place, often within the same song. Not to mention Jansson's amazing solo work. They're triumphant and honestly add to the overall songs in a way beyond the purely sonic.

At times, such as the chorus of "Will of the Ancient Call" where it seems to come at the listener from all sides, like in the thick of battle without feeling chaotic. And on the title track where they come together in a wave of clashing sounds then spread out and lock into a doomy groove.

The best aspect of Out of the Garden is how moving it is. Wilson's vocals have a lot to do with that. He's simply amazing and what's scary is that he's actively trying to get better. Might we have another Messiah Marcolin on our hands? Wilson (and the rest) really shine on what has cemented itself as my favourite track, "The Master's Bouquet". It features a wickedly dreadful riff that carries death on its back and a terrible vengeance. It's a simple enough story that I won't ruin but Wilson sells it so, so well moving between gorgeous and gritty.

I've no doubt Out of the Garden is going to be fighting for a spot near the top of my year end list for 2015. I'm still working my way back through the 80s and 90s for traditional doom to love and Crypt Sermon have definitely sparked that search. There's only so much funeral or stoner doom to take in so something like this spreads the melancholy around in a different way. The melody, the grit, the solos and Sagarnaga's underappreciated percussion coalesce into a trad doom album that nears perfection. It's too early to label it a classic but that's just a matter of time.

Released February 24, 2015 on Dark Descent Records.

Crypt Sermon on Facebook

Out of the Garden on Bandcamp

AOTY #12: Paroxsihzem - Paroxsihzem

Paroxsihzem's self-titled debut tops the list of Grade "A" releases from Dark Descent in 2012. This heavily blackened death metal beauty is caked in all the grime and filth one could scrape from the underbelly of their home in The Big Smoke. The album is viciously misanthropic and cavernously produced, as if recorded in the den of some foul beast buried untold layers beneath the city. A number of samples compliment the subterranean vocalisations as bleak riffs circle like flies around a rotting carcass, yet not without a sense of groove and militant forcefulness. Paroxsihzem is disgustingly dark and densely atmospheric without resorting to varied instrumentation. The album is intense and visceral, dragging the listener to a shallow grave with lo-fi, no-frills putridity. Paroxsihzem is a frighteningly impressive and oppressive debut which will be difficult to top. However, I have a feeling we've only heard the crust topping the depths of malevolence Paroxsihzem have to offer. 

(Dark Descent)

Paroxsihzem on Facebook

AOTY #37: Begrime Exemious - Visions of the Scourge

What's not to like? Edmonton's Begrime Exemious rupture eardrums and speakers alike with Visions of the Scourge. Insanely relentless, this blasphemous death metal blast is fueled by adrenaline and sickness. Visions is pedal to the metal fury with an underlying rhythm demanding the most furious of headbanging. We're talking thrash levels of ripping speed. Disgusting black metallic vocals frighten wives and children alike as fathers/husbands (me) raise invisible oranges in demonic triumph. It's albums like this that are making Dark Descent a label to watch. With a little lineup stability big things could come out of the Begrime camp.

begrime.orphy.net

Anhedonist - Netherwards

Anhedonia can be defined as the inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable. So it is not without a sense of irony that a band whose moniker suggests a lack of enjoyment would create an album so enjoyable. Yet that is precisely what Seattle, Washington's Anhedonist have done with Netherwards. That is of course, if you can find something enjoyable in music this depressing.

Whether unfolding at an evolutionary pace, rolling like a severed head away from the chopping block, or chasing down quarry from horseback, Netherwards is soaked in the sweat pooling on the floor from the walls of a dismal dungeon. The blackened shrieks and unearthly growls of guitarist/vocalist V.B. anchor the album to the sinister side of the psyche. Joined by guitarist K.H. and bassist D.F., the trio weaves a blanket of despair across the album's four tracks. Whether pointed or thundering, drummer Z.S. builds the foundation upon which the crushing filth of Netherwards is built.

The listener is subjected to a bevy of the darkest of emotions. The haunting aura of the album is cloaked in a fog of negativity. The listener's soul is torn asunder by the fear and anguish wrought forth over the course of the album's merciless 41 minute playing time. Much longer could prove unbearable for those not as seasoned as myself in this breed of blackened doom. Netherwards is the kind of album that takes root inside the body. There is no superficiality to be found within Anhedonist. This is music fed by the ugliness of humanity. It is meant to penetrate deep into the mind and saps the listener of satisfying serotonin.

Anhedonist may not rob music of its ability to please, but they certainly do not project any feelings of joy or happiness. Netherwards exists in the cold, dark recesses of doom and gloom where no light may reach. It is in these lightless environs that the album is best enjoyed. The full value of Netherwards would be left unfulfilled on a sandy beach or a walk in the park. Nay, to be fully disaffected by the most all-encompassing of art forms, the album beckons for a listening environment lit only by the blood red candles dripping wax over yellowed skulls. Multiple listens are essential for experiencing the full measure of the grimness contained within the bowels of Netherwards. Sink into your lair and release yourself to its vibrations.

Netherwards is available now from Dark Descent Records.

Emptiness - Error

The latest in a string of releases on Dark Descent Records to have grabbed my attention is the third full-length album from Belgium's Emptiness, Error. I can't quite remember what attracted me to the band initially but I strongly suspect it was the name. See, I study and practice Buddhism and the concept of emptiness is central to that belief system. However, this particular Emptiness is not all about peace and love. Quite the contrary. Instead of emptiness as the nature of all existence, the feeling I get from Error is the emptiness of the soul. Leading the charge through the ethereal darkness are bassist/vocalist Phorgath and lead guitar/vocalist Olve J.LW. Both of which are also members of (purer) black/death metal outfit  Enthroned. (Their 2012 album, Obsidium is excellent.) Rounding out the quartet on rhythm and drums respectively are Phil P. and Jonas Sanders.

Across the album's nine tracks, Emptiness captures the all-pervading grim atmosphere of black/death/doom much in the same way as Hooded Menace. One difference being, Emptiness manages to take the dissonance and angularity present in many of the bands of the so-called "Sumerian-core" ilk, slow it down and infuse it with the requisite level of darkness necessary to fit the band's modus operandi.  On Error you'll find that the weight of death metal coupled with the malicious fervor of black metal makes for an intense combination. Add to that a "noise" element and things really get captivating. In the title track there is even a saxophone that muscles its way into the melee.  And in my opinion, it works better here than the sax on the new Napalm Death album. (Gasp!)

Cutting through the sense fog of uneasiness and chaos that envelops the album is a sense that these songs are actually fun to play. The corn-free "mosh parts" are interwoven so seamlessly that the listener may be taken by surprise by the urge to throw oneself against another. I'm not suggesting an Emptiness show would be plagued by circle pits, but the riffs do compel one to be engaged beyond merely raising some invisible oranges and nodding along. Betraying that tonic for inducing metal camaraderie are the almost aqueous vocals.They are drowning in their own cold-hearted menace. They sound as if they belong to a sinister, disembodied pan-dimensional being occupying your cerebral cortex and manipulating your very existence. Underlying the bludgeoning force laid upon the listener of Error is a subtle beauty. Certain passages, riffs or even just notes elevate the otherwise drag-you-through-the-pits-of-hell atmosphere. Although, it very well may just dig its hooks into you do just that.

Emptiness has been around since 1998 with their first full-length, Guilty To Exist,being released in 2004. But I've just been turned on to them now. I feel like I've been missing out for the last eight years. But that's no reason you should miss out any longer. This misanthropic journey to the precipice of insanity is available now from Dark Descent Records.

 

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